I'm speechless...NOT

Well, this weekend was pretty successful from where I'm standing. I can't remember when, if ever, I gave a speech in front of 240 people. But I did this past weekend at my cousin Alvin's wedding banquet. Normally, I don't like to be part of the floor show but as his bride is one of my closest friends, I felt like I had a unique perspective. I didn't feel like I could sum up everything in a quickie toast. I felt like it would be more fun to relay the story of how they got together. I ended up with a 7-minute speech. It sounds long but I was confident that it was entertaining enough that it would fly by. I not only rehearsed for timing but to practice line delivery. A speech is no fun without some personality behind it. Anyway, I have to say that I kicked ass. Is it wrong to think that when you do the boasting, it's not egotistical but rather adorable? ;) I made sure to do a nice one-two combo of humor and emotion throughout. And is it wrong to be happy that you made the bride tear up? In those situations, you feel like you didn't do a good job if you didn't pull at anyone's heartstrings. I was very happy and flattered that a lot of people paid me compliments after and even the next day. Guess it shows I am a writer at heart. Man, it was hard to come down from such a nice weekend and back to...well...Phoenix life.

I dived right in to making cupcakes for a birthday for a fellow volunteer at the shelter. Here are a couple of pictures of them (chocolate with vanilla bean frosting). So glad I bought those gum paste tools. My flowers now have some dimension.